297 Taking Candy from a God #297

'The Helmet of Fate... of course, why the fuck not...?' I bitterly mused as I sensed the obscene amount of energy radiating out of Godfrey's body, a giant golden Ankh symbol appearing behind him.

Arguably, the most dangerous weapon in the DC continuity, guarded by the consciousness of a Lord of Order. Yet somehow, it fell into the hands of a second-rate villain. Classic DC moment, if I've ever seen any.

"Arrogant human..." Godfrey said through gritted teeth, his eyes shining through the helmet as he looked at me. "You've ruined my plans, and for that, you will pay dearly," He added, tendrils of light materializing around him and shooting straight toward me.

My frown deepened as I tried to stop the magical attack with an energy barrier, only for the golden beams to shred straight through it, forcing me to dodge.

'How did this bastard get the helmet, and why the fuck isn't Nabu frying his brain already...?' I mused as I flew in every which direction, trying to avoid the magical projectiles and being mindful of my positioning to prevent any strays from hitting the city.

Eventually, my gaze settled on the hideous insect nesting on top of the helmet, and my eyes instantly glinted in realization. 'Yeah... that's not out of place or anything...' Having identified my target, I quickly attempted to devise a plan to remove it.

Still, I had no leeway to think, not with a barrage of indestructible magical missiles hounding me in the air and the constant worry over the city and its people below.

'I need to take the battle somewhere else...' I mused, deciding to go with the oldest trick in the book as I flew straight toward Godfrey with the golden magic projectiles trailing behind me.

"Foolish child, do you take my power for a mere parlor trick?" Godfrey asked, crossing his arms as he stood rooted in the air, but I turned him a deaf ear as I kept flying at my top speed.

"Very well, I will humor you..." Godfrey added, standing still without flinching even when I reached for his head as I flew over him. His confidence wasn't misplaced as my hand phased straight through his body, and so did the magical projectiles.

The bastard even had the leisure hit me with a point-blank energy blast which caused me to lose balance, the magical projectiles catching up to me and impaling my body.

I coughed blood as I quickly stopped my momentum and looked down at the bloody holes dotting my body before turning back to Godfrey. "Not bad..." I said, wiping the blood off my mouth as my wounds healed before I could finish my sentence.

"The power of Nabu isn't anything to scoff at, I admit. I might not be able to overpower you, but..." I said with a grin, trailing at the end of my sentence as I wiped the blood off my mouth. "Outstomarting you is as easy as taking candy from a baby..." I added as I raised my index finger and pointed behind Godfrey's back.

Godfrey looked suspicious at first, but as my smile widened and grew more assured, he couldn't resist the urge to turn around and notice the Motherbox floating behind him.

"Case in point," I concluded with a loud laugh as I teleported next to Godfrey, wrapping my arms around him as the Motherbox activated, causing us both to disappear.

...

Earth's orbit

"Took you long enough, Kryptonian..." Darkseid said with a faint smile, clearly amused, while he watched the metallic roof over his head melt and fall apart as Superman burst through it.

The man of steel said nothing as he instantly charged Darkseid, tackling him into the flagship's interior deck and out of it if within a fraction of a second.

Superman didn't spare the exploding ship so much as a second glance as he let go of Darkseid, activated his heat vision, and sent it flying straight toward God of Tryany's head.

Unfazed, Darkseid maintained his calm demeanor as he responded with an Omega beam, and the two forces of nature collided, pushing against each other in a stalemate.

"Pathetic..." Darkseid muttered, the glow in his intensifying as the Omega beam instantly overpowered Superman's heat vision, burning a scar over the man of steel's chest.

"Worthless, weak..." The God of Tryanny continued to taunt as he appeared behind the man of steel, joining his hands and bringing them down on the latter's back, which sent him flying away.

"You are not fit to protect anything..." Darkseid added as he closed the distance between himself and his opponent, gripping Superman by the throat and raising him.

Suddenly the scenery around them changed as they appeared on the surface of Mars, and Darkseid grunted as he slammed the man of steel into the planet's barren surface, creating a crater and a shockwave akin to a massive meteor hitting the ground.

"Not to worry, though. Once I finish you off..." The God of Tryanny calmly said as he flew into the air, rapidly growing in size until he blocked the sun above Superman's head. "I will reunite your planet with you, alongside everything you ever loved..." He went as he punched down at the man of steel, intent on crushing him alongside the barren planet to pieces.

However, Darseid's fist stopped only several meters shy of hitting the planet's surface, causing him to raise an eyebrow as he felt something tiny pushing against it.

"You will not hurt anyone! I won't let you!" Superman exclaimed, calling on every ounce of power within him as he finally diverted Darkseid's fist and charged the New God.

"Continue to squirm in futility if you wish..." Darkseid said, more amused than anything else as he watched the man of steel charge him. "Your defiance changes nothing..." He added as he punched down again with even more force.

...

The Nightshade Dimension

"What is this?! Where am I?!" Godfrey exclaimed, creating a shockwave that sent Grayson flying when he noticed the young man reaching for the hideous insect on the helmet.

Godfrey looked around, and his expression instantly sank as he realized he was floating above a dark weathered forest. He looked up and found no signs of light, only darkness that seemed to siphon his newfound power.

"Welcome to the Nightshade Dimension..." Grayson calmly said as he gathered his bearings and found balance after suffering the powerful shockwave. "It's a wonderful place where darkness rules supreme..." He added with a smile as he opened his palm, conjuring a dark tendril that rapidly grew to the size of an oak tree.

"A place where light holds no power, even that of the great Lords of Order..." He added as he opened his other palm, creating a tiny ember of light that the darkness instantly devoured. "And it will be your grave," He concluded, his eyes turning black as the darkness coalesced around him, materializing into creatures of various shapes and sizes.

"You are only making a fool out of yourself, human," Godfrey said, scoffing as he raised his hand. "The power of a Lord of Order is not so flimsy," He added as he materialized tendrils of light and sent them flying toward Grayson.

The new god instantly grinned as he watched the darkness attempt to devour the light, only to fair, but his smile quickly turned to a concerned frown when Grayson dissipated his attack with a mere slap.

The young man didn't seem to be in the mood to mince words as he instantly attacked, charging Godfrey with an army of dark creatures trailing behind him.

"Damn you!" Godrey exclaimed angrily, his body shining in an intense golden light with tendrils of golden light shooting out of his body as he met Grayson's charge halfway. gloam

Light and darkness collided as the two exchanged blows and magical blasts, each hitting the target without fail. But as Grayson seemed to thrive in the glum plane, unaffected by Godrey's radiant life magic, the latter did not fair so well.

Every hit Godfrey landed managed to wound Grayson, breaking a bone or drawing blood, but every injury the new god inflicted would instantly heal, much to his frustration.

On the opposite end, every blow Grayson landed would not do as much damage, but Godfrey was not as resilient as the plane's darkness seeped the new god's very life energy, weakening him with every passing second.

Despite the devastating injuries, Grayson knew he had the advantage, which would only grow with every passing second, prompting him to bide his time, only attacking when he knew his attacks would land.

Eventually, it took thirty minutes for Godfrey to run out of steam. Whereas the New God grew sluggish and exhausted, Grayson maintained his strength and attacked with even power and ferocity.

"Wait...! Please wait...!" Godfrey said as he hurriedly backed away, upon realizing victory was no longer within his grasp. "We don't have to fight! We share a common enemy!" He added, raising his hands in surrender.

"I was a fool to look down on you. If we combine our strength, we can easily defeat Darkseid..." Godfrey went on, much to Grayson's amusement, as he raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"I've long since grown tired of serving under the God of Tyranny... it's why I stole the Helmet of Fate..."